Urban Meyer: Tim Tebow needs to be with a team whose system lets him play

Following a season in which he was a complete non-factor with the New York Jets, it’s fair to wonder if Tim Tebow will ever again be the type of viable starting quarterback that he was with the Denver Broncos a year ago. This may come as a shock, but Urban Meyer still feels as though Tebow can help an NFL team win games and become a contender.

“We watched RG3 at the Washington Redskins, Wilson at the Seahawks, the new quarterback at the 49ers, and Carolina, and they are actually running a spread offense in the NFL,” Meyer told Mike and Mike in the Morning on Wednesday, via Pro Football Talk. “So my hope is, and I’m sure Tim feels the same way, is to go play in one of those systems where they let him play.”

Tebow is a playmaker, but Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton are all better quarterbacks than he is. As PFT mentioned, the fact that we have seen spread offenses have success in the NFL over the past couple of seasons doesn’t mean Tebow could have success running one. All of the aforementioned quarterbacks make plays with their legs but can also throw. Tebow’s passing ability is below-average at best.

“I talk to him every week, and he’s still the most positive guy I’ve ever been around,” Meyer said of Tebow. “He was so excited to go to New York and play for coach Ryan and the whole situation there. It didn’t turn out, but you have to move on.”

When the Jets traded for Tebow, Meyer urged them to unleash him and not hold him back the way that Denver did. The exact opposite happened, and Tebow rode the bench throughout the entire season. The more success the Broncos have with Peyton Manning, the more it seems evident that Denver made the playoffs with an 8-8 record despite Tebow — not because of his so-called magic.